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CAMBODIA

ENTREPRENEURIAL
ECOSYSTEM
CONFERENCE
CAMESCO23

CAMBODIA’S ENTREPRENEURIAL
ECOSYSTEM STRENGTHENING CONFERENCE

CAMESCO23

FAIRFIELD BY MARRIOTT
08 DEC 08:30AM PHNOM PENH

INFORMATION PACK

ORGANIZERS

GOLD SPONSORS SILVER SPONSOR

SUPPORTERS MEDIA PARTNERS


CAMBODIA
ENTREPRENEURIAL
ECOSYSTEM
CONFERENCE
CAMESCO23

CONTENTS
1. WELCOME LETTER............................................................................... 4

2. BACKGROUND.................................................................................... 6

3. CAMESCO 2O23 FOCUS..................................................................... 7

4. AGENDA.............................................................................................. 8

5. PROGRESS SINCE CAMESCO 2022................................................... 11

6. KEY ECOSYSTEM INITIATIVES SUPPORTING CAMESCO................. 12


6.1. Give a Day............................................................................................................. 13
6.1.1. Takeaways from Give a Day in 2023.................................................. 13
6.1.2. Members that have attended Give a Day events............. 17

6.2. Ecosystem Builder Network (EBN)........................................................ 18


6.2.1. Shared Vision...................................................................................................... 18
6.2.2. Roadmap............................................................................................................... 19
6.2.3. Working Group Members........................................................................... 20
6.2.4. Members................................................................................................................ 20

7. GUESTS OF HONOR AND SPEAKERS................................................. 21


7.1. Guests of Honor................................................................................................. 21
7.2. Speakers................................................................................................................. 23

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8. CONTENT MANAGEMENT GUIDELINE................................................ 34

9. ABOUT ORGANIZERS AND FUNDERS ................................................ 35


9.1. 3Ei initiative............................................................................................................ 35
9.2. Khmer Enterprise............................................................................................... 36
9.3. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)..... 37
9.4. Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)................... 38
9.5. Swisscontact........................................................................................................ 38

10. ABOUT THE SPONSORS....................................................................... 39


10.1. Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF)........................................................ 39
10.2. ADB Frontier Facility.......................................................................................... 39
10.3. ABA Bank.................................................................................................................. 40
10.4. Improving Small Package E-Trade for SMEs (SeT4SME)......... 40

11. ABOUT THE SUPPORTERS................................................................... 41


11.1. Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN).................................. 41
11.2. Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE).......... 41
11.3. Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG).............. 42

12. ABOUT OUR MEDIA PARTNERS.......................................................... 43


12.1. B2B Cambodia..................................................................................................... 43
12.2. Cambodia Investment Review (CIR)................................................... 44

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1. WELCOME LETTER

Greetings and welcome!

On behalf of Khmer Enterprise and Swisscontact, we would like


to welcome you to the Cambodia’s Ecosystem Strengthening
Conference 2023 (CAMESCO23).

It is a great honor for us to co-organize the 2nd edition of CAMESCO.


CAMESCO, established in 2022, is an initiative established to build a
network with like-minded stakeholders to strengthen Cambodia’s
entrepreneurship and investment ecosystem. CAMESCO allows the
showcase of the best practices in promoting collaboration and trust
building and foster entrepreneurship culture among Entrepreneur
Support Organizations (ESOs) and system’s actors. Hence, we are
grateful for your participation today.

This year, CAMESCO23 is organized and co-financed by Khmer


Enterprise​ (KE), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
(SDC), and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) within
the Enhancing Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Investment (3Ei)
initiative.

In addition to sharing the feedback that had been discussed through


the 9 Give a Days and 3 Ecosystem Builder Network (EBN) meetings
in 2023, the conference will also be sharing different experiences
of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cambodia and in the region.

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CAMESCO23 will see 15 speakers from Cambodia, the region and


international. The vast and varied experiences and knowledge the
speakers bring will help to provide insights of best practices and better
understand the current and future potential status of Cambodia’s
entrepreneurial ecosystem. We hope for your active participation
throughout the conference. Topics such as Gender Lens Investing,
Blended Financing and Inclusive Development of Entrepreneurial
Ecosystem will be discussed during CAMESCO23.

We deeply appreciate the generous support of our Gold Sponsors:


Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), ABA Bank and ADB Frontier; our
Silver Sponsor: SeT4SME via Small Package Exporting Champions
(SPEC). In addition, we also would like to thank our strategic partners:
Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), Aspen Network of
Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and Global Steering Group for
Impact Investment (GSG). Our media partners, Cambodia Investment
Review (CIR) and B2B Cambodia need to be thanked for the trust,
belief and support.

We would like to thank for your presence, interest, and support for
CAMESCO 2023. We hope CAMESCO23 will help us to explore the
opportunities which will contribute to a stronger and more attractive
Cambodia’s entrepreneurial and Investment Ecosystem.

Wish all of us a good day!

Mr. Rajiv Pradhan H.E. Dr. Vanmunin Chhieng


Country Director Chief Executive Officer
Swisscontact Cambodia Khmer Enterprise

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2. BACKGROUND

Cambodia’s Ecosystem Strengthening Conference 2023


(CAMESCO23) is being organized on 08th December 2023.
CAMESCO is an initiative established to build a network with like-
minded stakeholders to strengthen Cambodia’s entrepreneurship
and investment ecosystem. This allows the showcase of the best
practices in promoting collaboration and trust building and foster
entrepreneurship culture among Entrepreneur Support Organizations
(ESOs) and system’s actors.

CAMESCO is envisioned as a regular annual conference to


bring together local and international stakeholders within the
entrepreneurial development community and explore challenges
and opportunities to build a strong and attractive Cambodia’s
Entrepreneurial and Investment ecosystem. The first CAMESCO
was held in 2022 joined by 167 participants both by the local and
regional stakeholders within the entrepreneurial development space.
This year, CAMESCO is being organized and co-financed by Khmer
Enterprise​(KE), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
(SDC), and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) within
the Enhancing Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Investments (3Ei)
initiative.

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3. CAMESCO 2023 FOCUS

CAMESCO23 has been curated based on the demands that have been
reflected in the various Give a Day events of 2023. Thus, Cambodia’s
Ecosystem Strengthening Conference 2023 (CAMESCO23) is
organized with the following particular focus:

o Recap year-round summary of Cambodia entrepreneurial


ecosystem initiatives and its status, including Give a Day
and Ecosystem Builder Network (EBN) meetings and other
ecosystem strengthening activities that have taken places
within the year.

o Disseminate findings of the Gender Lens Investing


landscape in Cambodia.

o Showcase experiences from regional/global initiatives


in promoting inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem
development and investments and its implication in
Cambodia.

o Discuss the insights and explore the gaps that market


actors could do to make Cambodia more attractive for
investment and to have a strong investment pipeline.

o Leverage power of the network to achieve goals at a


much large scale.

o Network with national and regional organizations.

Furthermore, CAMESCO, in collaboration with Convergence and


the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), also co-
organize additional workshops addressing “Demystifying Blended
Finance” and “Understanding the Accelerator Model, Best Practices,
and Tips for Measuring Success” respectively. These workshops were
held on 07th December 2023.
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4. AGENDA

Time Sessions

8:30-9:00 Guests Arrival and Registration

9:00-9:05 National Anthem

9:05-9:30 Welcome Remarks


• Mr. Markus Buerli, Director, Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC)
• Ms. Che Jung Won, Deputy Country Director, Korea
International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)
Opening Remarks
• H.E. Dr. Chhieng Vanmunin, CEO, Khmer Enterprise

9:30-9:50 Session 1: Summary of Key Results of Cambodia’s


Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Objective: To provide insights of current status and
development of Cambodia Entrepreneurial ecosystem by
sharing initiatives and programs within the ecosystem
• Ms. Lisa Chao, Business Networking Lead and Executive
Officer to CEO, Khmer Enterprise

9:50-10:10 Session 2: Primary Findings of Gender Lens Investing (GLI)


landscape in Cambodia
Objective: To share insights of the market challenges and
opportunities as well as way forward to promote GLI in
Cambodia in order to stimulate a vibrant entrepreneurial
ecosystem
• Ms. Ayaka Matsuno, Director of Gender Investment and
Innovation Programme, Sasakawa Peace Foundation
(SPF)
• Mr. Rajiv Pradhan, Country Director, Swisscontact

10:10-10:15 Photo Session

10:15-10:30 Break

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10:30-12:00 Session 3: Promoting Inclusive Development of Ecosystem and


Investment - Global and Regional Experiences
Objective: Share regional and global best practices of
comprehensive and effective models to build and promote
inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems and investment
Insights of the global accelerator effectiveness and best
practices
• Ms. Abigayle Davidson, Director of Research and Impact,
ANDE
Accelerating the Growth of a Vibrant, Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Ecosystem
• Ms. Priya Thachadi, Co-Founder and Chairman, Villgro
Philippines
Principles for Giving with a Gender Lens
• Ms. Mridhula Sridharan, GLI Lead, Asian Venture
Philanthropy Network (AVPN)

12:00-13:30 Networking Lunch

13:30-14:00 Session 4: Introducing how Blended Finance works.


Objective: Share regional trends and the challenges and
opportunities of blended finance and discover blended financial
instruments to mobilize private capital for SME investments.
Presentation: The Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities of
Blended Finance in ASEAN
• Mr. Ritesh Thakkar, Senior Advisor, Asia Pacific of
Convergence

14:00-15:00 Panel Discussion: Using Blended Financial Instrument for SMEs


Moderator:
• Ms. Fai Wechayachai, Head of Market Development,
Global Steering Committee for Impact Investment (GSG)
Panellists:
• Mr. Ritesh Thakkar, Senior Advisor, Asia Pacific of
Convergence
• Mr. Samuil Shiderov​, Blended Finance Expert, UNDP
• Ms. Dina Pons, Regional Director for East Asia, and Impact
Manager, Incofin

15:00-15:20 Break

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15:20-16:20 Session 5: Developing Promising Pipelines


Panel Discussion: What market changes are needed to build
stronger pipelines of investments?
Objective: With more capital flowing into developing and
emerging market, much more than what the companies ready
to absorb, the ecosystem needs to reflect on how to create and
support the market infrastructure to build investment pipelines
that is strong and in time can attract larger capital investment.
Moderator:
• Mr. Tommy Boukhris, Cambodia Advisor, Asian Venture
Philanthropy Network (AVPN)
Panellists:
• Ms. Laura Alsenas, Executive Director, Nexus for
Development
• Mr. Somphyvatanak Kong, Market and Investment
Manager, Khmer Enterprise
• Ms. Tean Ly, Funder Manager, ADB Frontier
• Ms. Pink Sakdiarpa, Associate Principal, Crossboundary

16:20-16:30 Closing Keynote: Way forward for Cambodia


• Ms. Durreen Shahnaz, Founder and CEO, IIX and IIX
Foundation

16:30-18:00 Canape Networking

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5. PROGRESS SINCE CAMESCO 2022

The inaugural CAMESCO event took place in 2022, attracting 167


participants from over 100 organizations representing government
agencies, investors, entrepreneur support organizations,
intermediaries, development partners, entrepreneurs among other. 9
calls of action were identified as followings:

Mobilizing Investment

1 The provision of investment readiness support

2 Mapping investors/Fund providers based on sectors and


ticket size

3 Development of innovative finance for pre-seed and seed

Trade and Markets

4 Matchmaking between existing support services & SMEs


– Domestic and international market

5 Expanding scope and scale – provincial outreach rather


than Phnom Penh-centered

6 Stakeholder mapping of supporting services to promote


trade and markets

Entrepreneurship Support

7 The provision of training and capacity upgrading


ot increase the adoption and scale up of digital for
businesses

8 Improvement of ESOs program mapping to including


operational and scaling stages

9 Train on trainers on how to apply Human-Centered


Design (HCD)

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6. KEY ECOSYSTEM INITIATIVES


SUPPORTING CAMESCO

While Give a Day brings the ecosystem actors together monthly,


EBN brings the facilitating organizations on quarterly basis, there is
a need to bring other stakeholders and international investors and
organizations that are looking for opportunity in Cambodia together
as well. CAMESCO is the perfect opportunity to realize this gathering.
CAMESCO would be the go-to signature event for social impact
investing information, opportunities, and networking in Cambodia.

Figure 1: Strategic Approach of 3Ei

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6.1. Give a Day

9 Give a Day meetings have been organized in 2023, among that 6


were held in Phnom Penh and 3 in Siem Reap. A total of 413 people
from 169 institutions participated. Give a Day aims to create a space
for key stakeholders in the ecosystem to systematically dive deep into
key issues of the entrepreneurial ecosystem via monthly meetings.
The initiative’s purpose is to foster connections and trust among
Entrepreneurs Support Organizations (ESOs), allowing them to better
understand each other’s work and differentiate their programs. This
process can lead to demand-driven discussions, presentations, and
collaborations, which may also integrate peer exchange workshops.
Consequently, this enhanced trust will result in improved services
for entrepreneurs. In addition, Give a Day is one of the instruments
to collect key insights to produces call-for-action items for the
entrepreneurial ecosystem.

6.1.1. Key Takeaways from Give a Day in 2023

The format of the Give a Day is that the experts presents, or a panel
discussion was held on a particular demand-based topic followed by
group discussions.

All recommendations from the discussions from each Give a Day


have been compiled together and it illustrated in figure 2.

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Give a Day in 2023


Give a Day 11 Give a Day 12 Give a Day 13 Give a Day 14
Feb Mar Apr May

Credit Guarantee Challenges and Exploring Growth and Changes in Entrepreneurship


Scheme and its role in Opportunities in Expansion Opportunities Ecosystem & Opportunities to
enterprise development investing in startups for Enterprise Support Further Support Women
Organizations (ESOS) Entrepreneurs

1.1 Need for Financial 2.1 Need for platforms that 3.1 Challenge of 4.1 Need for a Robust
literacy for MSMES and provide Technical misalignment: Network Support
women owned assistant to support misalignment of Start- up Structures to uplift women
businesses, which allow startups to be investment needs and ESO programs, entrepreneurs, especially
them to better record of ready (including legal and often steaming from onors' beyond urban centers. This
financial statement to financial documentations scope and expectation. includes establishing
access to the formal and improving capacity mentorship programs,
finance and the etc.) 3.2 Need for ESOS to clarifying roles of different
guaranteed scheme identify their unique value government departments,
2.2 Lack of information and proposition, to scope and leveraging e-commerce
1.2 Need to support MSMES sharing platform about provide specific topics platforms, and promoting
especially women owned investment, funding and base on startup demand digital readiness.
businesses to legally mentoring opportunities for paid program in order
register to access to increase their 4.2 Need for efforts to
different benefits /support 2.3 Start-ups lack of commitment and promote an
include the loan awareness and readiness attention. entrepreneurial culture
guarantee for investment (market- such as a role model to
unfit products, foster entrepreneurship,
misunderstanding about especially women
business valuation, entrepreneurs who need to
incorrect business model, break the social and
and unclear growth culture barrier.
strategies)

Give a Day 15 Give a Day 16 Give a Day 17 Give a Day 18


June-In Siem Reap Sep-In Siem Reap Oct Oct-In Siem Reap

Siem Reap Give a Day Unlocking Business Co-host with ADB Co-host with Enterprise
Kick Off Innovation: Success Frontier -Growth Lessons Vision - Breakfast Talks with
Stories from Resilient from Cambodia's Most Siem Reap ESOS to explore
Entrepreneurs Dynamic Companies collaboration
5.1 Needs for skill 6.1 Need for both financial 7.1 Need for more human 8.1 Need for different
development in different and non- financial resources. There is still a programs to develop
forms including trainings, supports for entrepreneurs severe lack of experts and Human Talents for
information sharing, to innovate (development capacity in local trainers businesses - Not only
hand-on support for of products and operation which causes companies training for the
entrepreneurs in Siem management needs to turn to international entrepreneurs
Reap to grow and heavy time and financial expertise
innovate. resources) 8.2 Lack of commitment
7.2 Need for reliable data and resources from
5.2 The lack of talents in 6.2 Need for supportive on funding and investor entrepreneurs to invest in
supporting the businesses environments for interest in aspiring their learnings and
and entrepreneurs and it entrepreneurs to recover entrepreneurs, as the lack innovations especially
hinders the growth and especially during of access to funding family businesses
innovation of the economic recovering and remains a key challenge in
businesses restarting the business the ecosystem

Figure 2: Key takeaways from all Give a Day in 2023

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The recommendations have been further grouped and summarized


in two main topics: Entrepreneur Support and Supporting Functions.

Entrepreneurship Support

1. Focus on financial literacy for MSMEs especially women-owned


businesses

2. Focus on building startups capacity to be investment ready


(market-unfit products, business valuation, business model, and
growth strategies)

3. Focus on skill development in different forms including trainings,


information sharing, hand-on support for entrepreneurs
especially in the province

4. Focus on developing human talents to support businesses – not


only trainings for the entrepreneurs but also employees

5. Call for support for both financial and non-financial supports for
entrepreneurs to innovate

6. Call for different mechanisms to invoke commitment from


entrepreneurs to invest in learnings and innovations.

Give a Day Community voted to prioritize call for actions

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6

Focus on Focus on Focus on skill Focus on Call for Call for


financial building development developing support different
literacy startups in different human for both mechanisms
for MSMEs capacity to forms talents to financial and to invoke
especially be investment including support non-financial commitment
women- ready trainings, businesses supports for from
owned (market-unfit information – not only entrepreneurs entrepreneurs
businesses products, sharing, trainings to innovate to invest in
business hand-on for the learnings and
valuation, support for entrepreneurs innovations.
business entrepreneurs but also
model, and especially in employees
growth the province
strategies)

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Supporting Functions

1. Call for alignment among startups’ needs, ESOs’ program


and donor’s scope and expectations

2. Call for ESOs to identify their unique value proposition to


scope and provide specific topics base on startup demand
for paid program in order to increase their commitment
and attention

3. Call for information platforms on investment, funding and


mentoring opportunities

4. Call for support for MSMEs to legally register to access to


different benefits

5. Call for better support system for entrepreneurs to recover


during economic recovering and restarting the businesses

6. Platform to support startups to be investment ready

7. Matchmaking Platform between investor and entrepreneurs

8. Promote and Foster an entrepreneurial culture such as


building entrepreneur role model.

Give a Day Community voted to prioritize call for actions

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11
9
6 5 6
4

Call for Call for Call for Call for Call for better Platform Matchmaking Promote and
alignment ESOs to information support support to support Platform Foster an
among identify their platforms on for MSMEs system for startups to be between entrepreneurial
startups’ unique value investment, to legally entrepreneurs investment investor and culture such
needs, ESOs’ proposition funding and register to to recover ready entrepreneurs as building
program to scope mentoring access to during entrepreneur
and donor’s and provide opportunities. different economic role model.
scope and specific benefits recovering
expectations. topics base and
on startup restarting the
demand for businesses
paid program
in order to
increase their
commitment
and attention.

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6.1.2. Members that have attended Give a Day events

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6.2. Ecosystem Builder Network (EBN)

A total of 37 organizations participated in at least one of the 6 EBN


meetings held since 2022. The Ecosystem Builders Network (EBN)
organizes quarterly meetings that is focused on development
partners, ecosystem builders and government agencies to
catalyze the efforts to bring about meaningful change to build an
entrepreneurial ecosystem. These gatherings provide a platform for
EBN members to learn about each other’s programs, identify market
gaps, and explore opportunities. Consequently, this facilitates the
design of targeted programs in filling market gaps and enhances
collaboration between system’s actors.

In 2022, EBN members worked together on a shared vision as


illustrated in figure 3. In 2023, the members worked to develop a
framework of an entrepreneurial ecosystem roadmap and formed
a small working group to oversee the roadmap development. The
roadmap is expected to be finalized and launched in 2nd Quarter
of 2024. This will serve as the entrepreneurial roadmap so that the
supporting organizations can design programs to which will help to
strengthen the ecosystem.

6.2.1. Shared Vision

Figure 3: A Shared Vision of the Cambodia Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

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6.2.2. Roadmap

The EBN members worked to develop a strategy framework of an


entrepreneurial ecosystem roadmap that is illustrated in figure 4.
The roadmap aims to serve as a framework for analyzing gaps and
opportunities in developing entrepreneurial ecosystems based on the
six pillars of the entrepreneurship ecosystem by identifying current
actors and programs in the support functions, regulatory functions
from government agencies that pinpoint entrepreneur’s missing link
throughout the six stages of the entrepreneurs journey. The roadmap
will also showcase recommendations for intervention supports and
prioritized strategies involving actors in supporting function and
regulatory functions.

Figure 4: Actor and Function Map of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Cambodia

To view the documents for the Roadmap:

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6.2.3. Working Group Members


The working group members were established in supporting a
roadmap development with representatives from 9 organizations
that illustrates in figure 5.

Ms. Chao Lisa Ms. Anna Bugmann


Khmer Entreprise SDC

Ms. Sar San Ms. Kong Daren


Oxfam Cambodia GIZ

Ms. Heng Chantheng Ms. Sou Socheata


UNIDO Ms. Chann Shouly
ILO

Ms. Ke Kamrang Ms. Heng Sola


Arise Plus Cambodia SNV

Mr. Chhuon Madinay


Swisscontact

Figure 5: Working Group Members to Support a Roadmap Development

6.2.4. Members

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7. GUESTS OF HONOR AND SPEAKERS

7.1. Guests of Honor

H.E. Dr. Chhieng Vanmunin


Chief Executive Officer
Khmer Enterprise
Dr. Chhieng Vanmunin has many years of
experience working in the ICT industry. He
has been consulting Startups, SMEs, and
Nationals & International Corporations across
all various sectors ranging from University,
R&D, Startup, Banking, Telecom and Fintech.
Before accepting the role as CEO of Khmer Enterprise, Dr. Vanmunin
started his career in ICT industry includes UNSW — an Australian
University, Data61 — an Australian government’s centre of Research
and Excellence, Macquarie Bank — an international investment bank,
Freelancer.com — a multi-million dollars online business, NBNCo —
an Australian National Broadband Network, eBay — an eCommerce
retailer, Data Republic — a Security Data Exchange, RGC — Royal
Government of Cambodia. Dr. Vanmunin holds a PhD in Computer
Science and Engineering from UNSW, Australia in 2008. With a
vision for changing lives with innovative solutions, Dr. Vanmunin
applied first-hand experiences and cutting-edge practices in
many consultancy projects including project planning, prototyping,
implementation, automation, and scaling businesses.

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Mr. Markus Buerli


Director, Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation (SDC)

Mr. Markus Buerli is the Director of


Cooperation at the Swiss Cooperation Office
and Consular Agency in Cambodia. He has
over 20 years of experience in international
cooperation and has been with the Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation
(SDC) since 2007, both in Switzerland and abroad. He holds a master’s
degree in Managing Rural Development from the University of London
and a Bachelor in Agronomy. With experience in providing business
advice to Swiss farmers as well as international agricultural research,
he now heads the Swiss Representation in Cambodia, managing
Swiss Development Cooperation to Cambodia.

Ms. Jung Won Che


Deputy Country Director, Korea International
Cooperation Agency (KOICA)

Ms. Jungwon Che is in charge of Education,


Employment and Private Sector Development
Programs in KOICA Cambodia Office. She
manages program portfolio, formulates new
projects aligned in the programs, and manages
outcomes. She has been involved in ODA sector for the last 11 years
by joining KOICA in 2012, mainly in regard to planning institutional
strategies, cooperating with other donors, piloting new modalities, and
managing ODA grants projects. Prior to this position, she served several
positions, including Deputy Director of KOICA DR Congo Office (2014-
2017), Manager of Department of Planning and Coordination (2017-2019),
Social Value Innovation Team (2019-2021), Strategic Partnership and
New Business Development Team (2021-2023).

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7.2. Speakers

Ms. Lisa Chao


Business Networking Lead
Khmer Enterprise

Ms. Lisa Chao is a Business Networking


Lead at Khmer Enterprise with 9 years of
experience across private and public sectors
including telecoms, trade, e-commerce, and
government agencies. During her first 6 years
of working experience, the profit-generated model in the private sector
has switched her interest to joining the public sector for a more impact-
driven career by managing funds to support local businesses. Since
2021, Lisa has been working at Khmer Enterprise managing various
programs that promote and expand the entrepreneurial ecosystem
network by partnership with ecosystem stakeholders including
Development Partners, Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs),
Incubator centers, and Associations to support Entrepreneurs and
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by connecting them to investors,
Financial Institutions (FIs), and B2B. Internally she is an Executive Officer
to the CEO who coordinates the relevant inquiries for stakeholders and
produces high-level content of speech and press.

Lisa was a business management student with the assets of multi-


languages she can use including Khmer, English, Mandarin, and
Cantonese, she usually handles public relations and communications
at local and international events.

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Ms. Ayaka Matsuno


Director of Gender Investment & Innovation
Programme, Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF)

Ms. Ayaka Matsuno is the Director of the Gender


Investment and Innovation Program, which hosts
the Asia Women Impact Fund (AWIF). AWIF is a
gender lens investing initiative to work towards
the economic empowerment of women in Asia.
Alongside AWIF, Ayaka oversees technical assistance projects that
support women entrepreneurs and contributes to gender lens investing
and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem development in Southeast
Asia. Prior to joining SPF, she worked overseas for 23 years, including
positions at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the
International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA). During this time, her work focused on
empowering women, girls, and socially vulnerable communities across
Southeast and South Asia, East Africa, and South America.

Mr. Rajiv Pradhan


Country Director
Swisscontact

Mr. Rajiv Pradhan is the Country Director of


Swisscontact in Cambodia, since 2016 and has
over 30 years of experience in the private and
development sectors across multiple countries.
His work focuses on strategic management,
supporting building systems to foster private sector growth,
enhancing public-private partnerships, facilitation and mediation in
various sectors including entrepreneurial ecosystem development
and investments, regenerative agriculture. Rajiv previously worked
in Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia including leading organizations in
supporting the private and public sector.

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In 2010, he was awarded Small Enterprise, Education and Promotion


Network (SEEP) Practitioner of the Year. The Royal Government of
Cambodia has awarded him the SAHAMETRI medal on June 21, 2022,
for ‘exceptional contribution to the field of Conservation Agriculture
(CA) and Sustainable Intensification (SI).

Ms. Abigayle Davidson

Director of Research and Impact, ANDE

Ms. Abigayle Davidson, Director of


Research & Impact at the Aspen Network
of Development Entrepreneurs and leader
of the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative
(GALI), joined ANDE in January 2016. Her
research centers on identifying effective approaches to business
development, understanding entrepreneurial ecosystem dynamics,
and best practices for talent management. Prior to ANDE, Abby co-
founded Markham & Fitz, a bean-to-bar chocolate company based in
the United States and continues to serve on the board of Innovations
in Peacebuilding International, a non-profit organization that cultivates
peace in war-torn countries through local leadership, education,
and research. She holds a bachelor’s in international business and
economics and a master’s in economics from the University of Arkansas.

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Ms. Priya Thachadi


Co-Founder & Chairman, Villgro Philippines
Co-Founder, Nushu Network & Unlock Impact

Ms. Priya Thachadi is an entrepreneur, investor


and gender advocate working across South
and Southeast Asia. She is the co-founder and
CEO of Villgro Philippines, an early stage impact
incubator that funds, mentors and nurtures
social entrepreneurs. She also co-founded Unlock Impact, a social
impact advisory firm focused on scaling inclusive solutions that tackle
gender and climate across the Asia Pacific. Priya is the Co-Chair of the
ANDE East and Southeast Asia Steering Committee. She is the host of
the podcast Talk Impact, a show for and about leaders at the frontlines
of social change in Asia. Priya is a passionate advocate for gender
equity with a focus on unlocking capital to fuel ambitious women
entrepreneurs. She co-founded and runs the Nushu Network, an award
winning platform for women entrepreneurs to connect to capital,
coaching and community. In 2020, she was recognized as a Youth
Gender Champion by the UN Women WEPs Awards for Asia Pacific.

Ms. Mridhula Sridharan


GLI Lead
Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN)

Ms. Mridhula Sridharan is a Senior Manager,


Gender Platform at AVPN. She brings in 8 years
of experience in the impact sector across
various roles, including Philanthropic Advisory,
Fundraising and Partnerships, Enterprise
growth strategy and Organization Building. She is Passionate about
utilising human centered design and gender lens to build robust
social enterprises and excited about the applications of technology
in creating greater impact. Mridhula has an MBA from Saïd Business
School, University of Oxford, and a master’s in engineering design from
Loughborough University, UK. She is an avid gamer, enjoys reading
manga and has recently developed an interest in pottery.
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Mr. Ritesh Thakkar


Senior Advisor
Asia Pacific of Convergence

Mr. Ritesh Thakkar, Senior Advisor in Asia


Pacific region at Convergence is focused
on developing and maintaining a robust
network of public, private, and philanthropic
Convergence members in the Asia Pacific
region, and catering to the region’s specific needs for blended
finance data, deals, and intelligence, as well as capacity building
and networking. With over 18 years of experience in financial services,
development finance, and management consulting, with a focus on
advancing public-private partnerships in the Asia and Eastern Europe
and Central Asia (EECA) region.

Previously, in his role at Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), Ritesh


worked to foster enabling ecosystems for a net-zero transition
through the development of green finance policies, working closely
with central banks, governments, the private sector, and multilateral
development banks. He also was part of the core team for the Asia
Asset Management practice at McKinsey & Co. He has assisted clients
in a variety of key areas, including market entry, growth strategy,
digital, and distribution strategy. Moreover, through his work at ING
Investment Management and ICICI Prudential Asset Management,
he has helped build institutional partnerships with central banks,
pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, life insurance companies,
and banks in the Asia region to deliver tailored ESG integrated
investment management solutions. He also founded an NGO in India
that gave youths an opportunity to serve the underprivileged. Ritesh
holds a Master of Business Administration from the Asian Institute of
Management and completed a sustainable finance course from the
University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

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Ms. Fai Wechayachai


Head of Market Development, Global Steering
Committee for Impact Investment (GSG)
Ms. Fai Wechayachai joined GSG in 2022 as
the Head of Market Development in Asia. Prior
to GSG, she was the Regional Chapter Head
of ANDE East and Southeast Asia, where she
helped build from the ground up. Her efforts
focused on cultivating and strengthening
entrepreneurial and impact ecosystems in the region. Fai was
instrumental in developing the ecosystem snapshot for Myanmar,
Bangkok and initiating the Southeast Asia Climate Entrepreneurship
snapshot. She brings both private and public sector expertise in
international development and education industry. Fai holds a
Masters in Comparative International Development Education from
the University of Toronto.

Mr. Samuil Shiderov​


Blended Finance Expert, UNDP

Mr. Samuil Shiderov is a seasoned profes-


sional with more than 20 years of experience
in banking, SME access to finance, and credit
guarantees. Currently serving as a blended
finance expert at UNDP’s Bangkok Regional
Hub, he brings a wealth of expertise to his role. Prior to joining UNDP,
Samuil held the position of CEO at a state-owned guarantee fund and
served as a board member of the European Association of Guarantee
Institutions. Throughout his career, he has successfully led projects
focused on supporting access to finance in Europe, the Middle East,
Africa and Asia. Samuil holds a bachelor’s degree in banking and a
master’s degree in finance from the University of Economics in Varna.

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Ms. Dina Pons


Regional Director for East Asia
and Impact Manager, Incofin

Ms. Dina Pons is Managing Partner at Incofin


Investment Management. She is in charge of
Risk, ESG, Impact and Technical Assistance
globally. Incofin is a global impact asset
manager with EUR 1.5bn of AUM. Incofin
“invests for impact to drive inclusive progress and sustainable
transitions”. Incofin offers debt, equity and technical assistance to
more than 200 portfolio companies working in financial inclusion,
sustainable agriculture, and access to drinking water. Dina is also the
Fund Manager of Incofin latest impact first blended finance initiative,
the Water Access Acceleration Fund (W2AF). W2AF is an equity facility
targeting SDGs 5 (Gender), 6 (Water) and 13 (Climate).   

Previous to her current role, Dina was Incofin Co-Regional Director


Asia and Impact Manager global. Dina gained her first hands on
working experience in the field, by working in financial inclusion
for more than a decade. During this time, she helped set up a
microfinance institution in Sichuan, China and conducted more than
30 credit and social ratings of microfinance institutions, throughout
East Asia. Dina speaks fluent French, English, and Spanish and has
a good command of Mandarin Chinese. She holds Master’s degrees
from Sciences Po, Paris and the London School of Economics (LSE)
in Development Studies and in International Relations. She currently
works from Incofin East Asia office, located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

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Mr. Tommy Boukhris


Cambodia Advisor, Asian Venture
Philanthropy Network (AVPN)

Mr. Tommy Boukhris leads the venture


building business at Platform Impact, an
impact venture building and venture capital
company. Along with his role leading venture
building, Tommy plays a role in developing
partnerships and harnessing the power of collaboration. In addition,
he is Cambodia Advisor for AVPN, and strategic partner for Delphos.
Prior to Platform Impact, he served as senior consultant with Emerging
Markets Consulting (EMC), a strategy and management consulting
company, where he led growth strategy and corporate/SME finance
projects.

Prior to EMC, Tommy worked for Canadia Group, a large and multi-
faceted organization, where he led strategy, business development,
and communications for the Group’s medical and healthcare services
business and hospitality business. Prior to this, he led Canadia Bank’s
financial institutions department, and managed relationships with
key regional and international FI partners, and served as Project
Manager/Chief of Staff, where he drove strategic initiatives and
communication strategies for the Bank and Group.

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Ms. Laura Alsenas


Executive Director
Nexus for Development

Ms. Laura Alsenas is Executive Director of


Nexus for Development, an organization which
provides access to financing for clean energy
and water solutions in Southeast Asia. She
has over 15 years of financial analysis, credit
assessment and transaction structuring experience with a consistent
focus on impact-driven lending. Prior to joining Nexus in 2021, Laura
worked for Portland’s economic development agency, where she
implemented loan programs that benefitted underrepresented
entrepreneurs and low-income communities. She also spent four
years in Amman as the portfolio manager for a USD 59 million loan
fund that supported Iraqi SMEs. Laura began her finance career as an
investment banking analyst with Lehman Brothers and her trajectory
in international development as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco.

Mr. Somphyvatanak Kong


Market and Investment Manager
Khmer Enterprise

Mr. Kong Somphyvatanak is the Market and


Investment Manager at Khmer Enterprise.
He is responsible for providing grant funding
such as assistance package to startups and
SMEs negatively impacted by Covid-19, export
grant for Cambodian SMEs to develop overseas market, and enter-
prise development grant to provide financing to help businesses to
be more competitive. He also works on investment mobilization to
support start-ups and SMEs’ financing needs. He has a background
in banking and finance where he spent more than 4 years with ANZ
Bank in Cambodia and Myanmar. For his education, he graduated
with Economics degree from Pannasastra University of Cambodia.
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Ms. Tean Ly
Fund Manager
ADB Frontier

Ms. Tean Ly manages ADB Frontier’s pilot


activities in Cambodia and Lao PDR. She
previously founded and managed Seeva
Capital, a firm specializing in offering
strategy and corporate finance advisory to
large local and multinational corporations. She has deep experience
in private equity and investment banking, including a significant
tenure at Citigroup managing structured real estate project
finance transactions. Tean serves on various boards including FWD
Insurance, SHE Investments, and Shift 360.

Ms. Pink Sakdiarpa


Associate Principal
Crossboundary

Ms. Pink Sakdiarpa is an Associate Principal


of CrossBoundary’s Bangkok office with over
a decade of experience in Southeast Asia.
CrossBoundary Advisory focuses on unlocking
private capital in underserved markets
through diverse transaction and blended finance advisory support.
Prior to joining CrossBoundary, Pink held an investment banking role
at The Quant Group, a boutique M&A advisory firm in Thailand where
she managed various aspects of M&A transactions with a focus on
the agribusiness and consumer sectors. Her track record also spans
across other financial advisory assignments, including business
valuation and fairness opinion for Thai-listed companies across the
food and beverage, consumer, and manufacturing industries. She
holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Thammasat University.

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Prof. Durreen Shahnaz


Founder and CEO
IIX and IIX Foundation
Ms. Durreen Shahnaz is a global leader
of social impact and pioneer in impact
investing. She is also the founder of Impact
Investment Exchange (IIX) and IIX Foundation.
IIX is the home of the world’s first social stock
exchange and one of the world’s largest crowdfunding platforms
for impact investing. IIX is also a leader in impact assessment
methodology and innovative financial structures such as the world’s
first gender focused social bond, Women’s Livelihood Bond Series. The
company connects the Back Streets of underserved communities
to the Wall Streets of the world by changing financial systems and
innovating solutions for women empowerment, climate action,
and community resilience, thus driving forward the Sustainable
Development Goals. IIX and IIX Foundation’s work has unlocked over
US$250 million of private sector investment capital and impacted
over 100 million direct household lives.

Shahnaz is the recipient of UN Women’s 2020 Asia-Pacific Women’s


Empowerment Principles (WEP) award, the 2019 Sustainability
Superwoman award from CSR Works, 2017 Oslo Business for Peace
Award, often referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize for Business’, the 2017
Global Steering Group for Impact Investment Impact Market Builder
of the Year award, the 2016 Asia Society Asia Game Changer Award,
in addition to the prestigious 2014 Joseph Wharton Social Impact
Award given by the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania.
Recently, Shahnaz was named in the Forbes 50 over 50 list as a
notable leader in the financial industry.

Shahnaz holds a BA from Smith College and a joint degree – an MBA


from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a MA
from the School for Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins
University.

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8. CONTENT MANAGEMENT GUIDELINE

A shared Google Drive for CAMESCO23 has been created to provide


the participants, access to relevant files and documents after the
workshop. The file can only be viewed and downloaded from the
google drive.

SCAN ME!

You will the find the following files in the drive:

1. Participants
2. Presentation of the speakers
3. Report of the conference
4. Photos from the conference

Date of documents availability:

• Speakers’ presentations will be uploaded on 08 December 2023


• The participant list will be uploaded on 15 December 2023
• The conference report will be uploaded and available by end of
December 2023
• Photos from the workshop will be available on 15 December
2023.

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9. ABOUT ORGANIZERS AND FUNDERS

The 3Ei Initiative Brands

The 3Ei initiative has been designed with sustainable mechanisms


built into the various interventions of the pillars, to ensure that
activities continue post-initiative. To do that, 3Ei plans to transform
the interventions into brand products. Each intervention will
be branded as a product with its logo,communications and
technical knowledge materials including flyers, brochures,
operational handbooks, etc. The stakeholders would view
these interventions as product offerings rather than
donor-funded activities. This strategy has shown to
be effective in cultivating interest in the uptake
and institutionalization of activities from
system actors.

9.1. 3EI initiative


The Enhancing Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Investments (3Ei) is a
five-year initiative (2023 – 2027) implemented by Khmer Enterprise
and Swisscontact and co-financed Khmer Enterprise, the Swiss Agency
for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Korea International
Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The 3Ei initiative aims mobilize impact
investing capital flowing into Cambodia by supporting small and
growing business growth that generate social and environmental
impact. The initiative also seeks to strengthen entrepreneurial
ecosystem and enhance coordination among ecosystem builders. The
overall goal of the 3Ei is for the private sector to actively contribute to
the Cambodia’s socio-economic development and attaining the goals
of the SDGs. Key donors of 3Ei are Khmer Enterprise, SDC and KOICA.

For more information on the brands please visit:

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9.2. Khmer Enterprise


Khmer Enterprise, established by the Royal Government of Cambodia,
aims to mobilize, invest and manage resources to support the
development of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cambodia,
thereby promoting entrepreneurial activities driving innovation and
value-added creation in Cambodia’s economy. Khmer Enterprise
has the vision to become the national platform for promoting
entrepreneurial activities in the four priority sectors: ICT focuses
on tech start-ups, service focuses on hospitality and logistics,
agriculture focuses on agro-processing for domestic consumption,
and agriculture for export, and lastly, manufacturing focuses on
import substitution.

Khmer Enterprise currently supports four sectors, which are


information communication technology (ICT), services, agriculture,
and manufacturing. Their core programs include Entrepreneurial
Culture Promotion, Capacity Upgrading, Business Networking, and
Seed Funding. For entrepreneurial culture promotion, KE support
partners’ programs in entrepreneurship training, arrange and
support entrepreneurship events, conduct public outreach programs
to local schools and university, and promote through newspapers,
radio, and TV content as well as digital platforms. In terms of capacity
upgrading, they help to develop entrepreneurial and management
skills, conduct market readiness activities, mentoring, and other
related support events such as events, office space, and roadshows.
KE organizes and sponsors business networking events, cooperate
with national and international community partners, and develop
a platform to attract venture capital fund, talents, and mentors. KE
also provides seed funding and matches funding opportunities with
partners to stimulate growth in the ecosystem. This seed capital is
applicable for start-ups and SMEs.

For more information, please visit:

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9.3. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation


The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is
Switzerland’s international cooperation agency within the Federal
Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). SDC is responsible for overall
coordination of Swiss international development activities, as well as
humanitarian aid. The SDC’s overall goal for the Swiss Cooperation
Programme in the Mekong Region 2022-25 and development and
cooperation activities in Cambodia, is to “enable people, in particular
young people, women and disadvantaged groups”, “to be more
prosperous, resilient and better included in development processes”.
The priorities and objectives for the Cooperation Programme are
oriented towards the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030,
Switzerland’s International Cooperation Strategy 2021–24 and the
main regional and national development frameworks of Cambodia.

In Cambodia, SDC implementing projects in three distinctive portfolios,


including Governance and Citizen Participation (GCP) Portfolio,
Climate Change and Natural Resource Management (CCNRM)
Portfolio, and Inclusive Economic Development (IED) Portfolio. Within
the Cooperation Programme period 2022-25, SDC also focus on three
cross-cutting themes throughout all of Switzerland’s programme
activities, including Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Good
Governance, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (CCA and
CCM) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), and Support for COVID-19
recovery.

For more information, please visit:

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9.4. Korea International Cooperation Agency


Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is a government
aid agency of the Republic of Korea (ROK), founded in 1991. KOICA
implements Korea’s grant and technical cooperation of the ROK,
supporting the socio-economic development of many developing
countries. Contributing to the advancement of international
cooperation through various cooperative projects to promote
friendly and cooperative relationships and mutual exchanges
between Republic of Korea and developing countries and achieve
poverty reduction, improvement of the quality of life, sustainable
development, and humanitarianism of developing countries.

For more information, please visit:


9.5. Swisscontact
Swisscontact - the Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation is an
independent, non-profit foundation based in Zürich, founded in 1959
by leading figures from the Swiss private sector and Swiss universities.
It is exclusively involved in international development, active in more
than 39 countries with 117 programmes with more than 1,000 staff
members. Swisscontact has been present throughout South-East
Asia for more than 30 years. Swisscontact has been operating in
Cambodia since 2013, establishing its office in the country in April
2016. In Cambodia, Swisscontact operates in three working areas—
skill development, Sustainable Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurial
Ecosystem. Swisscontact currently implements the SDC-funded Skills
Development Programme (SDP), leads the implementation of the
Senior Expert Contact (SEC), Innovative for Sustainable Agriculture
(ISA), Improving Small Package E-Trade for SMEs and Enhancing
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Investments (3Ei).

For more information, please visit:


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10. ABOUT THE SPONSORS

10.1. Sasakawa Peace Foundation


The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) is a private foundation
established in 1986 in Tokyo Japan. SPF promotes innovative solutions
and approaches to address a wide range of issues facing the world
today. Promotion of inclusive society including empowerment of
women is one of the priority areas of the foundation. The Gender
Investment and Innovation Program of SPF works towards promoting
economic empowerment of women and gender equality in
Southeast Asia. This is achieved through investments via the Asia
Women’s Impact Fund (AWIF) and technical assistance programs to
make finance and entrepreneurship work for women. SPF is currently
implementing programs for gender smart entrepreneurship support
in the region and successfully piloted the ‘Cnai Accelerator program’
in Cambodia to provide a level playing field for all genders.

For more information, please visit:


10.2. ADB Frontier Facility
The ADB Frontier Facility will support and fund fast-growing
gazelle SMEs generating climate and gender impact in Cambodia
and Lao PDR. In May 2023, ADB Frontier launched a pilot Seed
program that deploys investment-readiness funding to support
recipient companies. Recipients will use the funds to scale up their
operations while building capacity to pitch for and receive new
investments. ADB Frontier aims to catalyse new industries, digital
transformation, employment and economic growth.

For more information, please visit:


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10.3. ABA Bank


ABA Bank is the largest commercial bank in Cambodia by total
assets, gross loans, customer deposits, and profitability based
on the National Bank of Cambodia’s Annual Supervision Reports
2021 and 2022. With 87 branches, 43 ABA 24/7 spots, over 1,500
self-banking machines, and advanced online and mobile banking
platforms, ABA Bank reaches 3 million customers with an array
of modern financial services. ABA Bank’s major shareholder is the
National Bank of Canada. It is the sixth-largest bank in Canada
and the leading bank in Quebec province.

For more information, please visit:

10.4. Improving Small Package E-Trade for SMEs


Improving Small Package e-Trade for SMEs (SeT4SME) is a two-year
project (2021-2023) for the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation,
implemented by Swisscontact in collaboration with the Ministry
of Commerce and in partnership with the General Department of
Customs and Excise of Cambodia, Cambodia Post and UPU, UNCTAD,
and Cambodia Women Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA). The
project supports Cambodia for improvements in trade performance
and driving inclusive growth by enhancing trade facilitation
implementation with more transparency in trade practices and
reducing the time and cost of cross-border trade with a focus on
small package shipments. This is possible by enabling the Electronic
Advance Data (EAD) by digitizing the customs processes applying to
small packages sent through the post as well as strengthening the
capacity of key stakeholders, particularly MSMEs looking to ship goods
internationally and upscale their small package export capabilities.

SPEC
SMALL PACKAGE EXPORTER CHAMPIONS

For more information, please visit:

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11. ABOUT THE SUPPORTERS

11.1. Asia Venture Philanthropy Network


Asia Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) is the world’s largest
network of Social Investors active in Asia, with over 600+ diverse
members across 33 markets. AVPN enables collaborations between
policy makers, family offices, foundations and the private sector
to increase the impact & flow of capital deployed towards closing
SDG gaps in Asia. As the only comprehensive funders’​ network in
Asia, AVPN is a leading ecosystem builder for the social investment
sector with 500+ members globally. AVPN’s mission is to catalyse
the movement toward a more strategic, collaborative and outcome
focused approach to social investing, ensuring that resources are
deployed as effectively as possible to address key social challenges
facing Asia today and in the future. AVPN embraces all types of
engagement to help members connect, learn and lead through key
convenings, thematic platforms, deal sharing, knowledge building
and industry-focused training.

For more information, please visit:

11.2. Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs


The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) is a global
network of organizations that propel entrepreneurship in developing
economies. ANDE members provide critical financial, educational,
and business support services to small and growing businesses
(SGBs) based on the conviction that SGBs will create jobs, stimulate
long-term economic growth, and produce environmental and social
benefits. Ultimately, we believe that SGBs can help lift countries out
of poverty.

For more information, please visit:

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11.3. Global Steering Group for Impact Investment


The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG) is an
independent global steering group catalyzing impact investment
and enterprise to benefit people and the planet. The GSG was
established in August 2015 as the successor to and incorporating the
work of the Social Impact Investment Taskforce established under
the UK’s presidency of the G8. The GSG currently has 33 member
countries plus the EU, as well as active observers from leading network
organizations. Chaired by Sir Ronald Cohen, the GSG brings together
leaders from the worlds of finance, business and philanthropy. GSG
aims that measurable impact is embraced as a deliberate driver in
every investment and business decision affecting people and the
planet. With 206 members include public private, and philanthropic
investors as well as sponsors of transactions and fund.

For more information, please visit:

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12. ABOUT OUR MEDIA PARTNERS

12.1. B2B Cambodia


B2B Cambodia is an online resource offering business investors,
owners and managers in Cambodia, and those looking to set up a
business in Cambodia, with easily accessible information & advice
for setting up, opening and managing business operations in the
Kingdom of Cambodia. B2B CAMBODiA covers the country’s leading
business practitioners, industry insiders, and business stakeholders
who have set up businesses themselves and can speak from recent
first-hand experience. In addition, B2B CAMBODiA provides value-
added content in the form of business news, feature articles, exclusive
interviews and market reports from industry insiders, a calendar
of business events, and business directory as well as engaging
video content with a wide range of subjects related to business in
Cambodia.

For more information, please visit:

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12.2. Cambodia Investment Review


Cambodia Investment Review (CIR), the premier digital publication
licensed by Cambodia’s Ministry of Information and operated under
the CIR Media group. The local and international team of experts
are committed to delivering high-quality business and investment
news in English, catering to a diverse and discerning audience.
Cambodia Investment Review takes pride in collaborating with over
50 of Cambodia’s most prominent enterprises, both large and small.
Through the strategic partnerships, we have successfully driven
sales, enhanced consumer awareness, crafted compelling brand
narratives, and fostered thought leadership within the marketplace.
Allow us to leverage our expertise and extensive reach to elevate your
brand and deliver unparalleled.

For more information, please visit:

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ORGANIZERS

GOLD SPONSORS SILVER SPONSOR

SUPPORTERS MEDIA PARTNERS

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